Simbarashe Gurajena (54) from Mpopoma, Bulawayo, was fined US$120 for insulting police officers at Pumula Police Station after accusing them of not doing enough to locate his missing son.
Gurajena pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a public place and was sentenced by Western Commonage magistrate Mehluli Moyo.
He received a four-month prison sentence, with two months suspended for three years, provided he didn’t commit a similar offence.
The remaining two months were suspended on the condition that he pay the US$120 fine by 30 March.
In passing the sentence, Moyo considered Gurajena’s age and the stress of his missing child but stressed the importance of discouraging violent behaviour. Said the magistrate, as quoted by the <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/bedlam-at-police-station-bulawayo-man-fined-120-for-insulting-police-officers-over-missing-son-case/">Chronicle</a>:
<blockquote>
The court wants to send a clear message that violence will not be tolerated in the community. This sentence serves as a deterrent to both the accused and others who may engage in similar offences.
</blockquote>
Prosecutor Ellen Matenga said the offence took place on 11 January 2025 at Pumula Police Station when Gurajena angrily banged on the crime office door and shouted at the police officers. She said:
<blockquote>
Gurajena was shouting at the police in Shona, saying, “Mapurisa imi munongohora mari dzatinokutambirisai mahara, hamusi kuda kutsvaga mwana wangu, ibasa renyu,” which translates to, “You police officers are getting paid for nothing from our tax money, yet you do not want to look for my son when it is your duty”.
</blockquote>
According to Matenga, Gurajena went on to insult Assistant Inspector Ngwenya, accusing him in a mix of Shona and English: “Iwewe ndiwe unotengesera vana vedu madrugs, that’s why you don’t want to open a report,” meaning, “You are the one selling drugs to our children, that’s why you refuse to open reports.”
In his defence, Gurajena explained that he was stressed because he had reported his missing son but had not received any response from the police.

Pindula News

A man in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, was fined US$120 for accusing a top cop of selling drugs and not looking for his missing son. The man pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to a four-month prison term, with two months suspended. He has to pay the fine by March 30. The magistrate considered his stress but emphasized that violence is not allowed. The man insulted the police officers at the station, accusing them of not doing their job. The prosecutor said the man was angry and shouted at the officers.

Bulawayo Man Fined US$120 For Accusing Top Cop Of Selling Illegal Drugs To Youths

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has secured the release of five villagers among them a pregnant woman, and a 3-year-old toddler, who had been arrested for disorderly conduct in a public place.
ZLHR said Jennifer Sithole (58) and her 3-year-old toddler grandchild, Esther Kuseri, who was pregnant, Tafirenyika Boterere, Shadreck Manyange, Brighton Manyange and Noel Chikosa, were detained at Ruda Police Station in Honde Valley.
 The villagers were arrested on Wednesday last week for allegedly protesting against maladministration by some school authorities at Sagambe Primary School. The ZLHR said:
<blockquote>
We have rescued a toddler and a pregnant woman, whom [the police] had detained together with some aggrieved villagers, who were charged for allegedly protesting against maladministration by some school authorities in Honde Valley.
On Wednesday, the police detained a 3-year-old toddler at Ruda Police Station in Honde Valley, together with Jennifer Sithole, the baby’s 58-year-old grandmother and Esther Kuseri, who was pregnant and four other villagers, who reside in Sagambe village in Mutasa District in Manicaland Province and charged them with disorderly conduct in a public place as defined in section 41 of Criminal Code.
The ZRP officers accused Kuseri, Sithole and 4 other villagers namely Tafirenyika Boterere, Shadreck Manyange, Brighton Manyange and Noel Chikosa of masterminding a protest against Evans Mwaturura, the school head at Sagambe Primary School, who stands accused by some parents and guardians of presiding over maladministration at the school.
The villagers were also accused of stopping school children from attending lessons at Sagambe Primary School. The allegations of maladministration had been raised during a School Development Committee (SDC) annual general meeting, which was held at Sagambe Primary School, where some parents intended to raise several concerns against Mwaturura.
The disgruntled parents had sought to engage officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and eventually, a meeting was held with officials from the ministry in the presence of some ZRP officers from Ruda Police Station.
Kuseri was arrested during the meeting for allegedly raising her voice against an official at the consultation.
She was released from Ruda Police Station on Thursday after she paid an admission of guilt fine for disorderly conduct in a public place for contravening section 41 of the Criminal Code, following the intervention of human rights lawyer Tatenda Sigauke of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
Kuseri opted to pay an admission of guilt fine for disorderly conduct in a public place because she was pregnant and the conditions of police detention were making her uncomfortable and she was not comfortable with the inconvenience of court processes considering her condition.
Chikosa who is the former SDC Chairperson at Sagambe Primary School, was separately charged with contravening section 37 of the Criminal Code for allegedly participating in a gathering with intent to promote public violence, breaches of the peace or bigotryChikosa was accused of being the one who had written a list of grievances levelled against Mwaturura, which had been presented at the meeting with officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
The three-year-old toddler and Sithole, Boterere, Manyange, Chikosa and Manyange, were only set free following the intervention of Sigauke on Friday at Mutasa Magistrates Court, where they had been hauled for their initial appearance.
Sigauke successfully argued with prosecutors from the National Prosecuting Authority against the placement of the villagers on remand and requested that they be released immediately. Prosecutors were left with no option but to assent to Sigauke’s request and this led to the release of the 5 villagers including the three-year-old toddler.
Prosecutors stated that they would resort to summoning the villagers if they were to consider prosecuting them.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Toddler, Pregnant Woman Among Villagers Detained For Disorderly Conduct

Former Zengeza West MP, Job Sikhala, is set to appear at the Harare Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 16 February in a case in which he is accused of disorderly conduct in a public place.
Sikhala was in court earlier on Thursday, 15 February, where he was fined US$500 by Harare regional magistrate Feresi Chakanyuka for communicating falsehoods.
In a statement, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that Sikhala will appear in court tomorrow on a charge of contravening Section 41(a) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23. It said:
<blockquote>
Job Sikhala was this morning sentenced to a fine of USD500 by a Harare Magistrate on charges of publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State.
He was sentenced to a further 9 months imprisonment, wholly suspended for 5 years on condition that he does not commit any offence involving publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State.
The charges are emanating from a statement that the accused person made on social media sometime in 2021 alleging that the Police were responsible for the death of an infant.
The accused person will appear again in court tomorrow for judgment in another case in which he is accused of contravening Section 41(a) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23, which is disorderly conduct in a public place.
</blockquote>
In May 2023, Sikhala and former Chitungwiza Mayor Lovemore Maiko appeared before Harare magistrate Yeukai Dzuda on allegations of disorderly conduct.
Police officer Keffus Kumurai and Zanu PF supporter Pardon Chitembwe were brought in as witnesses and testified that Sikhala and opposition supporters initiated violence against Zanu PF supporters.
The witnesses claimed that a fight broke out between the two political parties and police had to intervene.
Keffus Kumurai told the court that he was patrolling in Zengeza while a Zanu PF gathering was being held at the Zengeza 5 grounds. He said suddenly a white lorry appeared with 40 people, including Sikhala.
Officer Kumurai testified that a fight broke out between the two political parties and police had to park their vehicles between the two political party camps.
However, a statement produced in court by the same policeman claimed that supporters of both parties threw stones at each other. The police officer suggested that this may have been the result of a typing error.
Pardon Chitembwe claimed that the opposition supporters were carrying stones in the truck and that Lovemore Maiko was giving more stones to the youths to throw at them.
Chitembwe also accused Job Sikhala of throwing a stone that hit one of their members, Shepard Tawodzera. Chitembwe stated that he is the secretary for security in the ruling party.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Missing Person Latest News

Latest Jobs